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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

Big Shanty Elementary School

Q: Is Big Shanty Elementary School a good school?

Big Shanty Elementary School ranks 506 th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

506^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,222 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 59% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Big Shanty Elementary School in Kennesaw, GA, serves 511 students in grades 3-5 and is part of the Cobb County School District, which ranks in the 71st percentile statewide. The school currently holds a 3-star rating, ranking 505th out of 1,219 elementary schools in Georgia—a dip from its 4-star status in the previous two years, though its long-term performance has fluctuated between the 59th and 70th percentiles over the past decade.

One of Big Shanty’s standout strengths is its work with English Language Learner (ELL) students, where it ranks in the 76th percentile statewide—a remarkable achievement that outpaces many nearby schools. The school also excels at keeping students in class: its chronic absenteeism rate of 12.6% is well below the district (14.2%) and state (17.7%) averages, and it has improved by 31% over five years. In math, students show clear growth as they move through the grades—3rd graders scored 46.4% proficient, but by 5th grade, proficiency rose to 54.9%, exceeding both district and state averages. However, 5th grade science is a notable weak spot, with only 30.3% proficient compared to 47.1% for the district—a 16.8-point gap that stands out, especially since the same students scored much higher in math. This subject-specific struggle suggests the issue lies in science instruction rather than overall student ability.

Compared to nearby schools, Big Shanty sits in the middle of the pack. It ranks behind Bullard Elementary (73rd percentile) but ahead of Bells Ferry Elementary (48th percentile), and it’s similar to Acworth Elementary and Chalker Elementary. The school spends more per student ($18,668) than most peers and has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.3:1. While the recent ranking dip and science scores warrant attention, Big Shanty’s strong ELL support, improving attendance, and steady math gains provide a solid foundation for families to build on.

511

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,668

Per pupil spending ?

50.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1575 Ben King Rd NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144

(678) 594-8023

District: Cobb County

Students who attend Big Shanty Elementary School usually attend:

High:

North Cobb High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

34.1%

African American:

30.7%

Hispanic:

25.4%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Big Shanty Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 64th percentile in 2016 → 59th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Georgia median (59th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Science scores 14 pts below the Georgia average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg53%

Georgia avg47%

506^th of 1,222

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Top 41%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From top 36% (2016) to top 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

34^th of 64Elementary Schools in the Cobb County

58^th of 202Cobb County among Georgia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	506 of 1222	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.1	412 of 1238	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.7	369 of 1236	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.1	370 of 1223	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.1	441 of 1220	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.6	480 of 1214	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.8	432 of 1234	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.6	482 of 1209	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.6	380 of 1205	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	59.5	443 of 1233	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.7	363 of 1240	70.7%	★★★★☆
2014	68.3	435 of 1231	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	69.0	406 of 1225	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.5	412 of 1201	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.8	350 of 1212	71.1%	★★★★☆
2010	69.5	382 of 1183	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.0	317 of 1133	72.0%	★★★★☆
2008	74.3	257 of 1134	77.3%	★★★★☆
2007	68.4	375 of 1125	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	72.8	298 of 1101	72.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	44.0	428 of 829	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.7	238 of 892	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	78.8	138 of 879	84.3%	★★★★☆
2023	72.8	168 of 870	80.7%	★★★★☆
2022	78.5	140 of 876	84.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	52 of 215	75.8%	★★★★☆
2025	50.5	115 of 317	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.9	184 of 304	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.7	160 of 283	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	54.5	476 of 1189	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.4	412 of 1224	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.6	419 of 1223	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.0	405 of 1212	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.3	411 of 1206	65.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	52.1	202 of 504	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.1	190 of 583	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	252 of 565	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.3	220 of 535	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.1	274 of 516	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	53.7	501 of 1186	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.6	421 of 1225	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.1	298 of 1220	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	69.5	333 of 1210	72.5%	★★★★☆
2022	58.9	462 of 1209	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2024	33.7	33 of 46	28.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.5	19 of 30	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	59.0	152 of 466	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.0	212 of 565	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	133 of 487	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	44.6	215 of 455	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.5	208 of 415	49.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	58.5	283 of 703	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.5	360 of 769	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.4	272 of 772	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.8	242 of 775	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.3	368 of 779	52.8%	★★★☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)76th percentile+17 vs school

Special Education (2026)67th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)60th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)60th percentile~ school

White (2026)60th percentile~ school

Male (2026)58th percentile~ school

African American (2026)48th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)28th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics52%+5 vs state

Science30%-14 vs state

3.3

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, April 1, 2022

Please be an advocate for your children especially for your children with special needs. This school has failed to follow protocol and legal documents. They didn’t provide a safe education for my son. Nor do they have the tools and skills to deal with kids with special needs. The administration has failed at this school and something needs to be done. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, August 11, 2016

Teachers work hard to try and please a principal whose main focus is on making herself look good to her superiors. Very little evidence of an innovative instructional techniques that improve student achievement. She does not care about instruction, just making the outside of the building look good so she can show it off to others.

Most teachers care a great deal about their students, but they receive no support from an administration that completely ignores bullying behavior and tends to sweep problems under the rug.

Several teachers have come to me in the community and told me how they were driven out of the school by the unprofessionalism and poor judgment of the administration. All are much happier that they have left, but feel sorry for those teachers who remain.

The school would be a lot better without its current principal. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, September 24, 2012

This school has great teachers and a new administration. Big Shanty does a wonderful job of preparing students for middle school, with more Big Shanty students taking Advanced Content classes at Awtrey than students from the charter school, for example. Close Quote

Schools Near Big Shanty Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Big Shanty Elementary School	Public	3-5	1575 Ben King Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8023	511	45	11.3	50.9%	174 (34.1%)	157 (30.7%)	130 (25.4%)	15 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (6.8%)	54.7	506^th of 1222 public elementary schools	58.6%		62.1	412^th of 1238 public elementary schools	66.7%	94	46.4	55.2	54.9	30.3	$18,668	$339	$18,329
Kennesaw Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	3155 Jiles Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8172	560	50	11.2	51.3%	198 (35.4%)	161 (28.8%)	118 (21.1%)	25 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (10.4%)								(n/a)					$20,203	$333	$19,870
Chalker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	325 N Booth Rd NW	Kennesaw	30144	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7621	679	56	12.2	47.6%	290 (42.7%)	167 (24.6%)	133 (19.6%)	27 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (9.1%)	55.7	486^th of 1222 public elementary schools	60.2%		52.7	527^th of 1238 public elementary schools	57.4%	41	48.9	45.0	44.8	49.5	$17,570	$317	$17,253
Baker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2361 Baker Rd NW	Acworth	30101	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(770) 975-6629	738	67	11.0	49.3%	226 (30.6%)	233 (31.6%)	164 (22.2%)	47 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (8.8%)	64.4	387^th of 1222 public elementary schools	68.3%		56.1	486^th of 1238 public elementary schools	60.7%	99	63.9	38.8	56.2	49.6	$18,468	$340	$18,127
Pitner Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4575 Wade Green Rd NW	Acworth	30102	Cherokee County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8320	802	63	12.7	56.5%	278 (34.7%)	222 (27.7%)	192 (23.9%)	35 (4.4%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (9.0%)	50.5	540^th of 1222 public elementary schools	55.8%		47.8	595^th of 1238 public elementary schools	51.9%	55	53.2	47.3	42.7	34.8	$17,526	$385	$17,140
Bells Ferry Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 Bells Ferry Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8950	704	51	13.7	61.5%	150 (21.3%)	278 (39.5%)	144 (20.5%)	67 (9.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (8.9%)	43.4	637^th of 1222 public elementary schools	47.9%		45.4	622^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	49.8%	15	36.6	50.4	41.3	35.0	$16,682	$318	$16,364
Hayes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1501 Kennesaw Due West Rd NW	Kennesaw	30152	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8127	802	64	12.5	57.5%	227 (28.3%)	317 (39.5%)	153 (19.1%)	53 (6.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	50 (6.2%)	51.5	533^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	56.4%		53.2	524^th of 1238 public elementary schools	57.7%	9	44.1	48.7	45.4	42.0	$17,454	$338	$17,116
Acworth Elementary School	Public	2-5	4220 Cantrell Rd NW	Acworth	30101	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 975-6600	499	46	10.8	69.1%	132 (26.5%)	155 (31.1%)	158 (31.7%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (9.0%)	56.5	473^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	61.3%		55.5	495^th of 1238 public elementary schools	60.0%	22	45.7	42.9	49.2	50.8	$20,313	$867	$19,446
Bullard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3656 Old Stilesboro Rd NW	Kennesaw	30152	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 594-8720	799	63	12.6	27.9%	409 (51.2%)	147 (18.4%)	135 (16.9%)	40 (5.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	64 (8.0%)	70.3	326^th of 1222 public elementary schools	73.3%		79.3	243^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	80.4%	83	51.9	65.4	51.0	51.4	$17,835	$352	$17,482
Blackwell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3470 Canton Rd	Marietta	30066	Cobb County	Cobb County	No	No	No	No	(678) 494-7600	580	48	12.1	53.6%	247 (42.6%)	90 (15.5%)	147 (25.3%)	37 (6.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (9.5%)	46.9	593^rd of 1222 public elementary schools	51.5%		54.4	507^th of 1238 public elementary schools	59.0%	86	56.0	49.0	44.1	20.5	$18,036	$316	$17,719

Frequently Asked Questions about Big Shanty Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Big Shanty Elementary School?

Students at Big Shanty Elementary School are 34% White, 31% African American, 25% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Big Shanty Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Big Shanty Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : North Cobb High School

What district is Big Shanty Elementary School in?

Cobb County

Is Big Shanty Elementary School a good school?

Big Shanty Elementary School ranks 506^th of 1222 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Big Shanty Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 511 students attended Big Shanty Elementary School.

Rate Big Shanty Elementary School!

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)Aug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.